The continued miniaturization of electronic components for use in electronic devices has given rise to a need for self-contained component feeder assembly units which are ready to mount into an existing work envelope for use with pick and place robotics machinery whenever and wherever reliable component parts delivery is required. In particular, electronic component feed devices used in the robotic assembly of integrated circuit boards and like electronics applications must provide steady and dependable delivery of parts to a given work site. Furthermore, it is extremely important that each part be correctly oriented and strategically aligned so that it can be properly interfaced with other systems including pick and place machinery and like robotics to ensure that each part is where it should be when it should be and is oriented as it should be so that an efficient production line can be maintained. It is for these reasons that existing vibratory feeders were designed.
However, some of the major problems with existing vibratory feed devices are the frequent misorientation or misalignment of critical parts and the frequent and expensive downtime required to change dedicated vibratory feeder platforms when switching from the delivery of one type of circuit board component to a different type of component for continued assembly of the same or a different circuit board. The different or substitute components are usually of different sizes and shapes and thus, the prior art uses dedicated platforms which are generally made to accommodate only a limited quantity of sizes and shapes of component parts. Therefore, the time lost to production includes both the manual switching of dedicated platforms as well as the programming adjustment of the X and Y coordinates of the automated pick and place or robotic machinery to properly locate and pick up the newly selected different component parts.
Accordingly, a serious need exists in industrial electronics assembly lines and particularly with integrated circuit chip applications for a new and improved vibratory parts delivery device, which saves time and money while increasing productivity and enhancing the reliability and dependability of such machines and thereby enables them to contribute more to the overall efficiency of the assembly production line.
It has been found, and will hereinafter appear in greater detail, that the sub-assembly of the present invention not only solves the prior art problems but provides a reliability and precision heretofore unobtainable by prior art devices.